This invention relates to alignment and attachment mechanisms for removably mounting an imaging media cartridge in a printer.
Production-level high-end printer, such as the iGen printing press may include a customer changeable unit (CCU) to supply and/or develop imaging media corresponding to a customized color. Such imaging media may include dry toner or liquid ink. The CCU may include, for example, an imaging media dispenser as well as a developer, particularly for a toner and integrated together in an imaging media cartridge.
The imaging media may correspond to a standard set of colors that include cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) in the four standard imaging media stations may be augmented by a trademarked color heavily used by a printer client for high quality publications.
Such trademarked colors may be assigned a corresponding four-digit PANTONE® number and assigned to a fifth imaging media station. Upon completion of a print run for one printer client using a first CCU having imaging media in a first trademarked color, the first CCU may be removed and replaced by a second CCU having imaging media in a second trademarked color for another printer client. Alternatively, the CCU in the fifth imaging media station may be assigned to a heavily used color of the CMYK set.
The CCU may be integrally designed and constructed and weigh between ˜30 and ˜40 pounds-mass. The CCU may be installed into a right side Xerographic-tower (or X-tower) of the iGen printing press as a consequence of overlapping design constraints. Close tolerances may be imposed for installing the mounted CCU in order to avoid misalignment of its imaging media dispensing and/or developing equipment.